October 25, 1909.|| HONGKONG
LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on Oct. 21st in the Council Chamber.
The following were present: HIS EXCELLEŃCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR FREDERICK JOHN DEALTRY LUGARD, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.
HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL R. G. BROADWOOD, C.B., A.D.C. (General Officer Commanding).
Hon. Mr. F. H. MAY, C.M.G. (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. Mr. W. REES DAVIES (Attorney- General).
Hon. Mr. C.M'I. MESSER (Colonial Treasurer). Hon. Mr. P. N. H. JONES (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. A. W.BREWIN (Registrar-General). | Hon. Mr. F. J. BADELEY (Capt. Superinten- dent of Police).
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, M.B., C.M.G.
Hon. Mr. E. OSBORNE.
Hon. Mr. E. A. HEWETT.
Hon. Mr. MURRAY STEWART,
Hon. Mr. W. J. GRESSON.
Hon. Mr. WEI YUK, C.M.G.
Mr. C. CLEMENTI (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
FINANCIAL MINUTES.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table Financial Minutes (Nos. 42 to 46), and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee. The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE ESTIMATES. The COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the se- cond reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding Five million six hundred and twenty-five thousand six hundred and eighty-three dollars to the Public Service of the year 1910.
CHINA CVERLAND TRADE REPORT. cease. Therefore it is very obvious, as your Excellency stated in your remarks the other day, that "
although during the next twelve months the financial problem of the Colony will not be very difficult, there will be in the im- mediate future a very serious financial problem to be faced." Reverting to the question of the opium divans, it is not very satisfactory to understand that your Excellency appears to look to a breach of law for certain increases in our revenue. I trust, although your Excellency may be right, that you may prove to be wrong, and that the Colony will prove more law-abiding than your Excellency appeared to contemplate. With regard to the loss of revenue on opium divans, I am not sure that I follow the remarks made by your Excellency, but perhaps you will correct me if I am mistaken. I followed your, speech as published in Hansard, and it appeared to me that you rather connected the new revenue from liquor duties with the opium. It seems to me that would be wrong if that was the intention your Excellency meant to convey. I trust you did not mean to suggest, because we were getting an extra half million, or whatever the exact amount may be, from the new tax on liquor, that that might possibly be used as an argument by the Imperial Government against making a substantial contribution on account of the loss to revenue through the closing of the opium divans. It may be that I did not quite understand what your Excellency said, but I must confess that that was the impression left upon my mind as to what you did say. It is a great deal too early to even hazard a guess as to what revenue will be brought in by the new liquor duty. Your Excellency put it at the conservative figure of $508,000. Personally I think it will be more. But I merely take the opportunity of expressing the hope, which I am sure will be fulfilled, that the Local Government will not, because the revenue has been raised by three or four lakhs, launch out into any fresh expenditure. I hope and feel sure that the strict policy now introduced of carefully husbanding the revenue will be persisted in. In this connection I think it is advisable to refer to the constantly increasing expenditure on public works. Take the railway, for instance. The original estimate was put down at some- thing like $8,000,000, but so far as I can gather the amount actually spent is somewhere nearer $11,000,000, or 40 per cent. more. The Law Courts were estimated to cost about four lakhs, but the figures now before the Council are almost double that amount, an increase of 94 per cent. The same thing applies to the Post Office, which was expected to cost five lakhs, but which has cost to date $873,60p, an increase of 75 per cent. That has been the story for many years past on all big public works in Hongkong, and my recollection goes back. I am sorry to say, for 30 years. I can only express the pious hope that my successor on this Council in years to come will not have the painful duty of calling the attention of the Government to the fact that the typhoon refuge at Mongkoktsui has ex- ceeded the estimate by from 40 to 75 per cent, but rather that he will have the unique ex- perience of congratulating the Government on such a thing not being mentioned. It appears there must
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arguments put forward against my proposal and one will probably be that this is no time to sell land. However, could not that have been contemplated eight or ten years ago when the Law Courts and Post Office were started. As regards the Post Office, of course, means We are paying a heavy rental which might have been saved. It might be suggested that when all this work is paid out of the current revenue the money is not available, but I don't think, from a business point of view, that is a sound argument, sup- posing such an argument were adduced. It appears to me perfectly reasonable to to raise a
or ten years' local loan cover the cost of special work. We have a very notable example of the difference between the way in which certain Government building operations are carried out and the way in which other people conduct their business. Opposite the Post Office a very handsome building has been erected and the old hong demolished. work of putting down a new foundation and erecting a new building, one of the most hand- some and best constructed in the Colony, was carried out in eighteen months. building was erected by business men
business working on
who wanted lines, to receive in the shortest possible time return for their investment. Your Excellency referred to various payments, principally with regard to the Law Courts, the Post Office
Works and the Kowloon Water
as final payments. I think you will have the thanks of the community if your Excellency will give the assurance that these particular works · will be completed by the end of 1910, and that no further payments in respect of them will be asked for. And I think, if I might be allowed to suggest it, that it is all the more necessary that your Excellency should give as this assurance, because rumours have been put about lately as regards the Post Office that some hitch has taken place about that building, and that it may not be completed as soon as hoped. Turning to the Postal Agencies, I think we are all of one mind thatjit is quite un reasonable to expect the taxpayer of Hong- kong to contribute towards their losses. It is The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded.
very gratifying indeed to know that the Imper- Hon. Mr. HEWETT-Your Excellency, I have
ial Government now agree to pay half of that been asked by the unofficial members to speak
loss, and I trust the communities concerned first in reply to the Budget speech which your
will put their hands in their pockets and Excellency made a fortnight ago. I understand
bear the other half. Speaking as a resident years in China that some of my colleagues will supplement
for a great number of what I have to say later on. Setting aside the
I would be the first to deplore closing the question of the liquor duty, we all agree, I
British Post Offices, because I understand the think, that the Budget taken as a whole is fairly
advantages to British interests that these satisfactory. That is to say, there is a revenue
postal agencies confer. At the same time the of $6,908,000, including the liquor duty, and an
time has now arrived when it is absolutely un- expenditure estimated at only about $40,000
reasonable to ask the Hongkong taxpayer more than that. I
to pay a single cash towards their mainten- sure it is very satisfactory to all of us to find that the
ance. Your Excellency made reference to the loss on the opium farm for the next three years
Observatory, and as this is the only time in the is much less than at one time was feared.
year when we have a chance of criticising very But with regard to that loss we have still to
favourably or unfavourably the policy of the learn what attitude the Imperial Government
Government and its officials, this is the time We should will take up. We were promised - at least, so
appreciation of way the Observatory has been we understand-by the Secretary of State in the
conducted. The more So, as We are per- House of Commons-that substantial compensa-
fectly well aware, that the Director is handi- tion would be made for loss occasioned through a policy dictated to Hongkong by the Home
capped by not being fully connected with all Government. I understand that your Excellency { to me
of bad weather. be something sources
That brings me spoke of the Imperial Government possibly radically wrong in the way in which estimates to another point, the necessity of increasing In the the number of our stations. The Chinese granting Hongkong half the amount of that for public works are drawn out here.
some time ago agreed to loss. Speaking for myself-in this case I do not first place we are asked to approve certain works Government
a station on Pratas Island and now speak for my unofficial colleagues-I maintain which are going to cost a certain sum. Many erect that it would only be an act of justice if the years later, when they are nearly completed, we that the question of ownership has been settled Imperial Government granted to the Hongkong find that sum largely exceeded. Another point I trust that it will be possible to induce them at the earliest possible moment to proceed with taxpayer at least the full loss incurred on the in connection with these big public works, to next three years' opium farm, by accepting a
which it is only fitting that I should again refer, the wireless telegraphic station. I put forward policy which we have never confessed. Turning is the unnecessarily long time spent in carrying this hope not only in the interests of foreign generally to the question of the revenue of the them out. The Law Courts were started, if shipping, which, after all, is possibly not Colony, there are one or two points on which I remember rightly, at least nine years ago, a great concern of the Chinese Govern- I would like to touch. We all know that land and the Post Office about a year later. Look- ment, but more in the interests of humanity sales have very largely decreased during the lasting at this from an entirely business point of with regard to the enormous junk and fishing trade carried on in those waters. We have only few years. At one time they formed a very view, where land has been purchased and public important item in our revenue, something like money expended for large public works, surely too good reason to know during the last month $70,000, but there is no reason to suppose that it is only practical and economical that the works the appalling loss of life occasioned to shipping there well be any material increase during the should be completed as promptly as possible, crews by the absence of proper warning of bad weather. Therefore, in the cause of humanity next two or three years certainly not as far bearing in mind that the two particular buildings as the island is concerned, as the country are the Law Courts and the Post Office. In I trust that the Chinese Government at the is largely developed. Another important the first place, supposing they were completed in earliest moment will put up that station. The item of our revenue, as we all know, has reasonable time, a very large and valuable piece | Philippine Government have, I believe, prac- been the opium revenue. That, of course,
of land could be available for other purposes.tically undertaken to put up a similar station
in of the islands As regards the other section, a very heavy is an extremely precarious item,
the Balanting have every reason to believe it possible rental has to be paid annually until the new Channel, and I am sure we all hope it will that in a very short time that revenue may building is put up. I am quite prepared to hear be pressed forward at the earliest possible mo-
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